Liberal Arts College- High GPA but low SAT?

Paying for College
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<p>Hi</p>

<p>First of all, I just want to comment that there are many talent and knowledgeable people in this forum and to those that answer I give you a heads-up thank you.</p>

<p>This is my personal case, but may apply to many others:</p>

<p>I am an international student, currently a rising Senior, trying to apply to top Liberal Arts Colleges. Some schools that I have in mind include Swarthmore College, Bowdoin College, Hamilton College, Colgate University, Bates College, and some others. </p>

<p>I have an excellent academic record. My cumulative GPA is 4.04. In addition, my grades in high school show an upward trend. In 9th grade my GPA was 3.95, in 10th grade it was 4.01 and in 11th grade it is 4.15. </p>

<p>My school is also an IB school, and I have taken full DP courses. Pre-IB courses in 9th and 10th grade and DP in 11th. My HL classes consist of Math HL, Biology HL, and Korean HL. </p>

<p>In terms of extracurricular activity, I have served in Leadership for 3 years as well as various other clubs such as GIN and MUN. I am a very active person both in extracurriculars, and in community service as well. </p>

<p>In terms of sports and activities- I am somewhat active but I am not a very sporty person. Personally I have played Badminton for 3 years and have been a continuous member of the local workout club</p>

<p>I have very close teachers and I believe my impressions in school and activeness inclass will be sufficient to write me a good recommendation as well. In terms of Essays, I believe I also can do well...</p>

<p>Now here is the problem: my only bulge in my record is my SATs. I have taken 2 SATII tests so far, one is the Math2C which I have a 780, and the other is Biology which I have a 670, both of which, are not tremendous scores compared to the type of colleges I am trying to apply to. I have also taken 2 SAT Reasoning tests so far and they are at an embarrassing 1780, and 1820.....</p>

<p>I think it is a personal problem- it is not that I do not study, I just do not think SAT is a sort of test for me. A lot of other students at my level of academic standing have SATs well over 2200. </p>

<p>MY GOAL IS TO GET INTO THESE COLLEGES WITH SUFFICIENT FINANCIAL AID. Me and my brother's school tuition constitutes of over 50,000 dollars and is taking off half of my father's income. Our family cannot afford to get in without sufficient financial support. </p>

<p>I may get accepted by luck but how much does SAT count toward Financial Aid? Can I try to "cover up" my low SAT scores by working on my essays and maintaining my academic and school record, and receive a lot of financial aid? I am also planning to take my final SAT test during October, in which I hope to get at least 2000. Am I competent enough to apply to such schools listed above?</p>

<p>Thank you very much forum...</p>

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<p>Being an international student will probably help you get into the schools you are interested in, since they are looking for diversity. Also, many of the schools you are looking at don’t give “merit” aid, just “need-based” aid, so the amount of financial aid you get is going to mostly depend on the FAFSA and other financial aid forms you fill out, not your test scores.</p>

<p>That said, it can’t hurt to do as well as possible on the tests. Try taking the ACT. Many schools accept either the SAT or the ACT and some students do much better on the ACT. (My son did.)</p>

<p>Good luck and congratulations on your significant achievements. I think you’ll be fine.</p>

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<p>Won’t hurt for you to apply. I know Bates and Colgate were free to apply for international students last year.</p>

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<p>Financial aid to Internationals appears to be very generous at many LACs, in terms of both the percentage of students receiving aid and the average amounts.</p>

<p>[Top</a> 25 Financial Aid Colleges in US for International Students (Need-aware) - Desperate Guide: Undergraduate College Financial Aid, Scholarship](<a href=“http://www.desperateguide.com/us/top-25-financial-aid-colleges-in-us-for-international-students-need-aware]Top”>http://www.desperateguide.com/us/top-25-financial-aid-colleges-in-us-for-international-students-need-aware)</p>

<p>However, admissions for Internationals at all the above LACs is need-aware. Amherst College seems to be the only LAC that has need-blind admissions for Internationals. </p>

<p>I have never seen data breaking out the average SATs for Internationals only. I’s hard to say what scores are expected for high-need International applicants at need-aware schools. You might want to choose some schools from the above list that cover a good range of selectivity, although almost all of them are at least fairly selective. Union, Skidmore, and Dickinson are less so than the others. Macalester, Colby, Bates, Colorado College, and Trinity (Hartford) are a step up in selectivity, but still less selective than Bowdoin or Swarthmore.</p>

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<p>Try SAT optional scores or try retaking the SATs. Bowdoin, Bates, Colby, Middlebury, Hamilton (requires SAT IIs, but you have good scores for those) are SAT optional. Even a score of 2000 would put you around the 25th percentile for Bowdoin and Midd, and below the 25th for Swarthmore.</p>

<p>From all that I have, it is often quite hard for internationals to get into US schools. I am not an international, so perhaps the posters above me know more. However, I know acceptance rates of internationals are often lower than the overall acceptance rates.</p>

<p>Swarthmore and Bowdoin are big reach schools for you, since your scores fall far below the 25th percentile. Hamilton, Colgate, and Bates are also reaches, if only because all those schools are highly selective.</p>

<p>Good luck. I just finished going through the college process this year and that’s what it is - a game of luck. So many highly qualified, deserving students get waitlisted or rejected at these top schools. My best advice is to apply to many schools - 10 to 15. It’s crazy and stressful, but because college admissions is so random (I got into some schools, waitlisted by their peers) you really need to.</p>

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<p>Hi</p>

<p>Thank you all for the thoughtful replies :)</p>

<p>I actually made a mistake of considering Swarthmore as it was far above my standards
However as sara12 has posted, I am aware that Bowdoin and Bates are optional in terms of SATs. I guess, it would significantly help my admission then, to not submit my scores? This would be the case if I do not see a significant improvement in my coming October test…</p>

<p>Also, is it safe to assume that the fact that some of these colleges such as Bates and Bowdoin are not considering the SAT scores mean that SAT does not count as much of a significant admission factor as compared to say GPA, Essays, and recommendations?</p>

<p>EDIT: I am considering Bowdoin for Early Admission but my only concern is that the difference of admission acceptance rate is only 5% increase between Early and Regular (25% and 20%) </p>

<p>Thank You again</p>

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<p>@tk21769
First of all, sorry for double posting</p>

<p>Your link to the financial aid for international students was very helpful. I have searched for something similar but did not get anything… :)</p>

<p>As for the credibility of the info- is it mostly reliable? Because since my focus is not only getting into a good LAC but also sufficient financial aid, then my aimed colleges change. </p>

<p>If your information is mostly correct then it seems I should look into Williams College. Besides the fact that it is the #1 LAC, it is a need-blind financial aid. Also early admission rates are relatively higher at ~40%. Furthermore, in regards to my SATs, Williams College considers only Reading and Math. My Reading and Math scores combined is 1320, in which the lower 25% is 1310. </p>

<p>Thank You Again</p>

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<p>Do note that the acceptance rates for international students tend to be lower than the general acceptance rates.</p>

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<p>You need to look at the LACs on the [The</a> National Center for Fair & Open Testing | FairTest](<a href=“http://www.fairtest.org%5DThe”>http://www.fairtest.org) list, and you need to carefully read the exam requirements for all of the others that you are interested in. You will find that many LACs do not require that all applicants send ACT/SAT scores. IB, GCSE, and other national exams often can be substituted. In some cases a certain number of SAT Subject Exams can be used instead of the ACT/SAT general exam.</p>

<p>You are absolutely correct that the SAT is not for everyone. You should try the ACT. Every college and university in the US that requires a standardized test score will except the results of both the ACT and the SAT. Lots of people do better on one or the other, and then just send the scores from the exam where they did best.</p>

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<p>You should consider applying to some of the midwestern liberal arts colleges (LACs), rather than just those on the east coast, because being Asian makes you an under-represented minority at many of these schools. </p>

<p>Your aggregate test score is low, but what’s your score breakdown? Some schools, like Grinnell for example, do not look at your writing score. Other possibilities were mentioned by tk above: In addition to Grinnell, look at Macalester, Hendrix, Oberlin, Kenyon, Rhodes, and Colorado College. And yes, you could try the ACT instead of the SAT if that’s available to you. Some students do much better on one vs. the other and most schools with accept either.</p>

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<p>I’m not sure this is true…especially for those very generous financial aid schools. You will be competing for admissions with other international students, many of who have impeccable credentials. Remember too that 90% of the students who apply to these schools do NOT get accepted. The %age of international students who don’t get accepted is likely higher.</p>

<p>I don’t want to cast a dark cloud over your aspirations but you need to dream both dreams…and realistic dreams. Your list of schools needs to be much broader than the one you have posted with regard to admissions competitiveness. You cannot get the financial aid unless you are accepted to the school(s). That is your first hurdle.</p>

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<p>so where did you get in?</p>

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<p>This thread goes back to June 2011.</p>

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<p>ya. where did you get in?</p>